


Gryphons and Butterflies

by Harebelle



Series: Butterflies [3]
Category: Warcraft (2016)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Khadgar has a crush on Lothar, LionTrust, Liontrust ship is so cute, M/M, Mana/Magic, THEY FINALLY KISS!, forest, gryphons, kiss, mild violence, monster attack, sleep cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 16:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20763422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harebelle/pseuds/Harebelle
Summary: Lothar and Khadgar visit a forest to find a wild gryphon, but Khadgar is attacked by a mana-stealing monster. The encounter brings the friends closer together.





	Gryphons and Butterflies

It was warm under the early afternoon sun, despite the air rushing past them as they flew. Khadgar was sat behind Anduin Lothar, the Lion of Stormwind on the commander's gryphon, and below them stretched a seemingly endless forest.

After some time, Khadgar spotted water glinting in the light and recognised a stream running along the forest floor. Lothar had seen it too, steering Pluen to fly above the water, following it until the stream swelled and formed a circular shape in the ground before continuing below the trees.

Pluen descended and landed with graceful flaps of her enormous wings, sending dead leaves in all directions. Lothar jumped down and started untying a travel bag from the gryphon's saddle.

'Okay, the wild gryphon was sighted where the stream pools here,' he stepped back as Khadgar jumped down beside him.

'So just to clarify... Pluen will find the gryphon and ask it to join us?' the young mage was sceptical of the plan, especially as the sighting of the creature was just a rumour he had heard while in the market back at Stormwind. Khadgar didn't regret telling Lothar what he had heard, as he enjoyed that they were spending the commander's day off together, but he doubted anything would come of it.

_Gryphons can't talk, for a start._

Lothar didn't seem to notice Khadgar's tone. 'Exactly! That's how Pluen was found years ago, isn't it girl?' the soldier stroked his steed's feathery head while Pluen nuzzled him with her beak. 'We can breed them, but some wild gryphons want to ally with us. They're intelligent and they have warrior souls.'

It was odd to hear Lothar gushing over anything, but Khadgar smiled.

_I love how much he loves gryphons. He's not always so tough and serious._

Khadgar felt butterflies in his stomach watching Lothar show his more gentle side. His crush on the commander was as strong as ever, even if it was a bit awkward knowing that Lothar knew, though the Lion didn't treat him any differently.

Khadgar was pulled out of his thoughts by a forest spider creeping across his arm, which he slapped away in a panic.

Lothar laughed and patted him on the shoulder. 'Nature! Makes a change to be out of the city, right?' he gestured at the wilderness around them. 'You need the occasional break from your reading and to see the critters of the world, bookworm.'

'There are plenty of spiders in the library already, commander,' Khadgar joked, glancing around to make sure the arachnid was gone.

Lothar turned back to Pluen and spoke to her. The gryphon watched him with her ears swivelled forward, concentrating. 'Okay Pluen, there's supposedly a wild gryphon in this part of the forest. Can you find it and ask if it wants to join us in Stormwind?' he pulled a slab of meat wrapped in paper from his bag and unwrapped it, tossing it into the air for Pluen to catch in her beak. 'Meet us back here around sundown, girl.'

Pluen devoured the meat and made a quiet chirping sound before leaping into the air and flapping out of view. Khadgar watched her leave, suddenly realising something. 'Ah. I left my bag tied to her saddle.'

'What do you have in there?'

'My sketchbook and some scrolls detailing the history of the woodlands and this province.'

'You can go a few hours without reading, can't you?' the Lion teased.

The mage sighed to himself and looked around. The forest was quiet apart from the flowing stream, birdsong, and the breeze through trees. It was a pleasant place, though the thought of being outside so far from the city without weapons or a gigantic gryphon for protection left Khadgar feeling slightly unnerved.

_I could always teleport us away to the edge of the forest if I need to._

Lothar had laid down a small blanket beside the pool and was stretched out on his back, his head resting on his hands. His eyes were closed and he already looked relaxed.

_Would he mind if I sat beside him on the blanket?_

Khadgar opted for a mossy rock beside the stream, where he sat watching the clear water. 'So, Pluen can understand you and will definitely come back to us?'

'Yes to both,' Lothar answered, his eyes still closed.

They sat quietly for some time and Khadgar let his thoughts wander. They were mostly about Lothar, as usual, though he tried to recall if there were any dangerous creatures in this area. He noticed the commander looking at him. 'Uh, what's up?' he asked.

'You had that serious thinking expression again. Just relax for a while, it's safe here.'

'That's my normal expression! I was just trying to recall if there's any aggressive wildlife in the forest.'

'There are settlements all over the forest; any dangerous critters moved on ages ago.'

'Makes sense. Hey, I know some history about the province. Did you know that during the reign of the previous local lord, there were these rogue mana-users doing unethical experiments deep in these woods? Some troops were sent to find them and bring them to justice.'

'I did not. Sounds like you've already read those scrolls,' Lothar commented with a raised eyebrow.

'Only one of them. I wanted to look at the maps and the flora and fauna surveys...' he trailed off, not wanting to bore the commander. He lay on his back on the rock, watching the sky through the gap in the tree canopy.

_Would Pluen have found the other gryphon yet? If there even is one._

After a few minutes, Khadgar felt something odd. It was a tugging sensation in his mind, faint, but insistent.

'Commander, do you feel that?' he asked, turning to see that Lothar had fallen asleep. The mage climbed to his feet and stood, feeling as though the tug was pulling him in a specific direction into the forest.

_I should wake the commander. No. Not over a weird feeling? I fought the Fel._

He cautiously started walking between the trees, memorising the layout of the clearing in case he had to teleport back. After walking so far into the trees that he could no longer hear the stream, Khadgar considered returning to the clearing, when he spotted something large and purple ahead.

_What?_

He approached the shape, trying to understand what he was looking at.

It was alive. It was some kind of serpent-like creature, at least as large as Lothar, and it was coiled on the forest floor, its massive head resting on the ground and its eyes closed. It had what looked like a sail or fin running along its back and yellowed canine teeth were visible as it breathed.

The mage recoiled in disgust realising that this monstrosity was the source of the luring sensation, and he started to turn away, when it opened its eyes, fixing them on him with clear intent.

Khadgar yelled for the commander, a moment before the creature's eyes flared solid white, it opened its mouth and cast a horrible leeching attack on the mage.

His entire world became a haze of an unnatural and overwhelming sapping sensation, like his soul were being pulled away from himself and into those jaws.

_My mana-- it's stealing my mana..._

He had difficulty forming coherent thoughts and even more trying to blast the monster with a spell. The mana cast from his extended arm was drained right from him and into the serpent's mouth.

_It's going to kill me. I can't fight it..._

He saw a blur rushing at the monster and realised it was Lothar. The Lion blind-sided the creature, cracking a large branch down onto its head and severing the leeching attack that was draining Khadgar's mana.

Khadgar staggered at the sudden lack of the assault, wanting to flee but unable to think and see clearly.

_I have to cast a spell. I have to shield the commander._

_..._

_Shield him from what?_

He realised that Lothar was now in front of him, shaking him and yelling something that sounded as though he were shouting from underwater.

Khadgar tried to answer, but couldn't remember what his friend could be so upset about. 'Why-- what? Why are you shouting?'

Lothar slapped him across the face. The young mage blinked from the shock and noticed the monster, which was writhing around, roaring in pain. His memory cleared and he nodded at the commander.

'We have to get away NOW!' yelled Lothar. He grabbed Khadgar's arm and sprinted into the forest, guiding the mage as he stumbled along as fast as he could.

Khadgar's vision was hazy, but he trusted the commander to guide him between the trees, although low branches he couldn't see whipped at his face.

_Where are we? I think we're running further into the woods?_

They ran for a long time, finally resting in a tiny clearing on rocky ground.

'What was that thing?' growled the soldier, doubled over and breathing heavily.

'I feel terrible...' Khadgar gasped. He fell to his hands and knees, suddenly shaking violently. He heard a thud as Lothar also dropped to his knees beside him.

'Khadgar, what did it do to you? Tell me the symptoms,' the Lion urged.

Khadgar couldn't answer for some moments, until he caught his breath. 'It was-- it was draining my mana,' he looked down at his hands on the ground and could barely make them out through seeing double and shaking.

'So that's why it didn't affect me...' Lothar muttered. The commander unslung his bag and pulled out his riding cloak, draping it over Khadgar, who was grateful for its warmth and reassuring weight.

The mage knelt until he gradually stopped shaking and he could see clearly again, though he couldn't shake the ill feeling and wrongness of the attack.

_This feels worse than when I used up almost all of my mana._

_That monster _ stole _ it from me. _

Khadgar felt horrified that such a creature existed and how quickly it had overpowered him.

_If Lothar didn't help me, I'd be dead now._

_And that _ thing _ would be stronger._

He slowly sat upright and looked at the commander, who had pulled some supplies from his bag.

_My Lion._

'You feeling better?' asked the soldier.

'Yeah, thanks. I couldn't see for a while,' he looked around and found a flat rock to sit on.

'Your eyes were flickering blue and you were out of it. You're telling me that thing was stealing your magic?' Lothar clenched his fists. 'I'll bring some soldiers; we'll kill it. Can you make a signal so someone can find us?'

Khadgar shook his head. 'It took so much mana, and what I have left feels... wrong. I feel like something bad would happen if I tried using it... I'm sorry, commander.'

'It's not your fault. Pluen will find us soon. If not, we'll figure out a way out of here,' Lothar ran a hand through his long hair, thinking.

'You have some cuts on your face, commander.'

'Yeah, those branches got us both pretty good back there. That's what this is for,' he held up a bottle from the supplies. 'In case the new gryphon has any injuries. Here, stay still for a sec,' Lothar poured some alcohol onto a strip of bandage and dabbed it onto Khadgar's forehead, stinging a scratch above his eyebrow.

When he was done, he ruffled Khadgar's hair for a moment, giving the mage a fond smile before preparing another bandage and disinfecting his own cuts.

The mage felt a surge of affection for the Lion, and the familiar butterflies returned, despite how unwell he felt.

_Thank you, commander. _

He pulled the cloak closer around himself, looking at their surroundings. They were at the base of a small rocky hill deep in the forest. The hill had a dark cave opening at the side closest to them and the top of the mound was covered in ferns and bushes, so it was probably hidden from above. The trees around them whispered and the sky above was changing to the colours of late afternoon.

Lothar stood up, leaving the bag on the ground beside Khadgar. 'I'm going to check out if that cave is safe. Don't move. If anything happens, shout for me, okay, kid?' He stopped at the cave entrance, looking back at Khadgar. 'Okay?' he repeated.

'Uh, yes of course. I'll be fine waiting here,' Khadgar nodded encouragingly, forcing a reassuring expression.

Lothar vanished into the darkness and Khadgar immediately started to panic.

_What if that cave goes underground? It could be a labyrinth in there --he could be exploring all night._

_There could be creatures – dangerous creatures. He doesn't have a weapon._

_What if that monster finds me while he's gone?_

Before Khadgar's thoughts could spiral further, Lothar reappeared.

'It's safe. Just a small cave; come see.'

Khadgar slowly walked over and peered inside the dark space. It was about half the size as his room in Stormwind Keep.

'Someone's stayed here before,' Lothar gestured to the sizeable log that had clearly been dragged into the cave at some point. There were also the ash remains of a tiny fire on the ground before the log.

Khadgar turned to Lothar. 'Don't you think we should find the stream, so we can follow it back to the pool?'

'We should rest now,' Lothar patted Khadgar's shoulder.

_ He means _ I _ should rest. He's concerned._

The commander continued. 'That thing was too close to the pool, it might not be safe to go back just now. I'm thinking we either try the pool or head for a settlement in the morning,' he glanced down at the ashes. 'You feeling up to helping me gather some firewood?'

~

After a short time, they had made a pile of fallen branches inside the cave and Lothar had also collected a smaller pile of twigs outside, which he started scattering around on the rocky ground in front of the cave entrance.

'We'll hear if anyone or anything tries approaching us,' he explained. 'You wouldn't happen to know anything about that thing, would you?'

'I think I recognise it from a bestiary. I think it's a mana wyrm, but those are usually small and leave people alone...' a thought struck the mage. 'They leave _non-mages_ alone... That has to be why it's escaped notice this whole time.'

'Good thinking. Not many spellchu-- I mean not many mana-users in this area,' said Lothar. Khadgar appreciated that the commander resisted his habit of using the derogatory term for mages.

_ He's trying. _

The young mage looked up at the darkening sky before entering the cave. 'Pluen will be wondering where we are.'

There wasn't much room on the log, so they sat side by side. Lothar's hand brushed against Khadgar's as he sat down, causing the mage to blush. He noticed that Lothar also blushed as he pulled his hand away, busying himself with starting the fire.

_What if...what if he's starting to feel the same way as I do?_

_No. He's pretty forthcoming; he'd say something. _

Lothar shared out some slices of a pie he had in his bag and the friends ate in silence. Khadgar tried to recall the details of their encounter with the mana wyrm, as he planned to sketch the creature when they returned home.

_It was huge and probably old, because it had chipped teeth and a lot of scars._

_Did it cast any spells? No, just the mana-leeching on me..._

He closed his eyes, trying to visualise the scene before his vision had blurred and he'd become ill, moments from becoming another victim to the foul beast.

_Did it have a _ collar _?_

He looked around the cave, thinking.

_I think it did. What does that mean?_

He watched Lothar poke the little fire with a stick. The smoke curled up and out of a crack in the ceiling, out into the dark forest where the monster lurked. He folded his arms around himself and tried not to think of the possibility that the wyrm could be creeping up to the cave.

_I'd sense it if it were close. I won't fall for its lure again. _

_How would I fight it off without magic?_

_What if it attacks the commander?_

He stared into the fire and shivered, despite the warmth from the flames and Lothar's cloak.

The Lion felt Khadgar tremble and turned to look at him. 'Are you okay?'

'I still feel messed up from the attack. And...we don't have any weapons to fight that creature off if it comes back.'

_I'll tell him about the collar tomorrow._

Lothar glanced at him. 'I doubt it will come looking for us after that blow to the head I gave it, plus I'm keeping watch tonight. Get some rest.'

'We'll take shifts,' Khadgar yawned.

'Alright,' said the commander. He produced a pocket knife and starting whittling a large stick.

Khadgar continued watching the fire to distract himself, avoiding looking directly at the cave mouth, for fear of seeing a shape move around out there.

_Wish I hadn't forgotten my scrolls. _

After some time, he fell asleep to the sound of the crackling fire, Lothar's wood carving, and his own worried thoughts.

~ ~ ~  


Khadgar woke, lifting his head from Lothar's shoulder.

_I hope he didn't mind..._

The fire was burning through the last of the wood and outside seemed to be in the twilight of early morning.

He still felt weak and that his mana was distressingly low, though he was thankful that it didn't feel as corrupted as it had the previous evening.

_I need to invest in some mana potions._

_What was I thinking, coming out here without any planning?_

Lothar ruffled his hair, causing him to lose his train of thought.

'Hey, good morning. I can move again! I didn't wanna disturb you,' the commander seemed his normal energised self, despite not sleeping all night.

'Good morning. Why didn't you wake me to keep watch?' Khadgar stretched his arms.

''Cause I wasn't almost killed by a monster yesterday, kid. I'm not heartless.'

Khadgar nodded and slowly stood, handing the cloak back to the commander. He walked back and forth across the cave to stretch his legs, which ached from sitting all night, while Lothar jogged about outside.

_Still kinda dizzy..._

The mage found some giant leaves full of dew by the cave entrance and splashed his face. He jumped in surprise when Lothar clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

'We have some slices of pie left and the flask of water. Eat up; we're finding those gryphons this morning,'

_How can he be so lively? Isn't he worried about the mana wyrm?_

As if reading Khadgar's thoughts, the Lion continued. 'Once we're back home, I'm rounding up my best soldiers and we're coming straight back for that wyrm.'

'I was thinking about that. I know someone who would love to study a monster with that ability. We could hire some beast trappers from Storm--'

'They can study its corpse. That thing almost killed you, I'm not leaving it alive.'

Khadgar wanted to argue the point, but Lothar had an intensity to his voice and expression, so the mage said nothing.

They ate and kicked out the fire, then set off into the woods. Khadgar had no idea of which direction the meeting-point clearing was, so he followed Lothar's determined stride as the soldier brandished the hefty stick he had sharpened the night before.

'Let's find Pluen.'

~

After walking through the forest for a few minutes in silence, listening for the sound of the stream, Khadgar decided to let Lothar know what he had noticed about the monster.

'Commander, did you see that wyrm was wearing a collar?

'What?'

'It had a collar with magical runes engraved on it. I think it was either an escaped pet or some kind of experiment, probably of one of the rouge magic users from the past.'

'WHAT?' Lothar swung the sharpened branch in anger, striking a tree. 'That'd explain why it's so freakishly big. This kind of thing is why I can't trust spellchuckers. Deforming the world around them--'

'What the hell? You trust me, don't you? My mana saved us all from the Fel!' Khadgar felt a twinge at shouting at the commander, but hearing his friend say these things hurt more than any monster attack.

'Yeah, magic stopping worse magic,' Lothar snorted.

'Look, commander,' Khadgar forced himself to calm down and stood still. He risked using the tiniest amount of mana to create a thimble-sized glowing blue heart that hovered over his open palm. 'Mana is part of the world. We use it as a tool. It's how we choose to use it that matters. You're being ignorant.'

Lothar was glaring at him, but reason prevailed and his features softened after a few seconds. He stepped over to the mage and gently folded Khadgar's fingers over the heart, holding his hand for a moment. 'I am. I'm sorry. You know I trust you with my life. I'm just raging at that thing for attacking you.'

'It's okay. We can't help what people in the past did. Thank you for--' he trailed off, feeling a horrible and familiar tug at his mana. 'It's back, it's nearby,' he gestured in the direction he could sense the mana wyrm was lurking in.

Now he knew what the feeling was, Khadgar resisted the lure, though he couldn't sever it. Then the leeching attack started and he fell to his knees.

Lothar grabbed his shoulders and tried to pull him in the opposite direction, but the monster roared and started crashing toward them, so the soldier stepped to one side and brandished the sharpened stick, as the creature exploded from between trees.

The wyrm expected an attack this time and was ready for Lothar, swinging its body and catching him across the chest with its tail. He was slammed against a trunk and fell to the ground, unmoving.

'LOTHAR!' Khadgar felt tears streaming down his face as he looked skyward and summoned as much mana as he could into a flare spell, as bright and enduring as possible.

_I hope that was the right choice..._

The mage watched the flare streak past the tree line and into the clear sky, as his vision blurred and he lost consciousness, falling to the forest floor.

~

Screeches and heavy blows thudded nearby, while someone was shaking Khadgar urgently. He was on the ground, twigs and leaves digging into his back where he'd fallen onto them. He didn't feel like his mana was being stolen any more, but felt too weak to do more than lie there.

_Lothar..._

Someone shook him again. 'Come back, kid, you're not dead! You're not dead...' Lothar's despair hurt Khadgar's heart. He managed to slightly raise a hand to reassure his friend.

Lothar grabbed the mage's hand in his own, squeezing it and sobbing. 'Why'd you scare me like that?'

_He's lost Callan, Llane, Medivh..._

'I wouldn't leave you alone, commander... who'd be there to argue with you about magic?' Khadgar managed to say with a grin, though his eyelids felt too heavy to keep open. 'What happened?'

'Pluen. She saw your flare and is fighting that wyrm like a true warrior.'

Khadgar tried to look and saw a new, smaller gryphon standing just behind Lothar. It was watching them with as curious an expression as a bird could make.

Lothar started to say something more, but his gryphon let out a deafening eagle-screech, drawing his attention. He turned to look at his steed. 'It's dead. Pluen, you've saved us, girl.'

Khadgar managed to fight some of his dizziness to lift his head and look across the clearing at the mana wyrm, which lay dead, shredded by beak and talons. He watched the hazy shape of Lothar wrapping his arms around his gryphon's head and the beautiful creature returning the gesture by placing a wing around her master.

_He's okay._

He was aware of the second gryphon gently nudging him in concern as he passed out again.

~

When he awoke, Khadgar was lying on his back with his head resting on Lothar's lap. The commander was sat leaning against a tree trunk, and Khadgar's heart ached once more, as he could feel that Lothar winced slightly when he breathed in.

'Khadgar, can you hear me? The new gryphon found these. I think they'll help you,' Lothar held up a twig bearing shocking blue berries the same colour as mana.

The mage's eyes widened in surprise. 'Those are meant to be extinct in the wild.'

'I guess wild creatures know better than us, huh?' he helped Khadgar to sit up and eat a few of the fruit.

The effect was almost immediate. The mage felt his mana returning, familiar and reassuring, without the corrupted feeling of being touched by an evil monster. He ate the rest of the berries, feeling his mana was at least half restored to normal.

_I can help him._

Khadgar turned and used the pain-reduction spell he knew on the commander. 'I haven't practised this, but I hope it helps...'

Lothar inhaled and relaxed slightly. 'Yeah, it helps. Thanks,' he smiled. 'Another good example of a useful tool, huh? Ow...I think I have some busted ribs.'

_He needs professional medicine._

'I can't teleport us, but...' the mage cast a few more flares into the sky, sending one back to Stormwind, leaving a blazing orange trail that someone could follow back to their forest location. 'Help will come.'

He gazed at the sky for a few moments, then turned to Lothar, blushing.

_I think I can do this now. After everything we've been through._

With a surge of confidence, he leaned toward his friend, brushing aside Lothar's long hair and kissing him. The butterflies were back, fluttering madly.

Lothar blinked and returned the gesture, placing a hand on the back of the mage's neck as he kissed him.

When they parted, both men were smiling.

'I just-- I'm really glad that wyrm didn't kill you,' mumbled Khadgar, staring intensely at the leaves on the ground around him while his face burned.

_That really happened._

'I'm glad you're alright, too,' Lothar said seriously.

'Does this mean-- I mean, are you okay with, uh... if we're a couple now?'

Lothar draped an arm across Khadgar's shoulders. 'We can try, bookworm. I still have feelings for Garona...and you know I'm not the most attentive or considerate guy, but I'll try for you.'

'Thank you, comman-- thank you, Lothar. I think we'll be happy.'

They sat together, with the new gryphon and Pluen keeping guard, until a small group of Lothar's soldiers eventually arrived on their own gryphons. They had some minor healing potions and food, and they tended to Pluen's injuries from her fight.

At Khadgar's request, the mana wyrm's body was bundled up and flown back to be studied at the university, and in a short time, Lothar was feeling well enough to climb onto Pluen for the flight back home, with Khadgar sitting behind him.

'You can't hug me while flying today, though; my ribs will be in agony,' said the Lion.

'I wasn't going to--I don't--' Khadgar blustered.

'You've gotta get used to my teasing,' Lothar laughed.

Khadgar shook his head, smiling. He let the realities of his new relationship sink in.

_We kissed. He wants to be a couple. This is all real._

Not caring if the other soldiers saw, he leaned forward and lightly kissed the side of Lothar's face, as the small group took off and headed back to Stormwind, with the new gryphon happily flying beside them.  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was a bit longer, but I really enjoy writing about these two (dorky Khadgar is d'aww), and figured it was time for their relationship to go beyond a one-sided crush. I hope you enjoyed reading it, Liontrust fans.
> 
> ~
> 
> Fun facts:
> 
> 1) I couldn't find if Lothar's gryphon has a name, so I chose 'Pluen', which is Welsh for 'feather'.
> 
> 2) The scene where Khadgar sleeps with his head on Lothar's shoulder is based on this cute drawing by Watermonster666: https://twitter.com/watermonster666/status/765768201561108483


End file.
